Arq. Hector Ceballos-Lascurain is a Mexican conservationist. An architect by profession, Hector was a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Monterrey Institute of Technology, Mexico. He also carried out post graduate studies in regional and environmental planning, architectural design and systems building in Paris, Rotterdam, London and Mexico City. He was Protected Areas Program Coordinator of IUCN at its headquarters in Switzerland (1991-1992). For IUCN he coordinated the IV World Parks Congress, held in Caracas, Venezuela, in February 1992, an event attended by 1,800 persons from 130 countries.
Hector is currently an Environmental Architect and International Consultant in Ecotourism Planning and Director General Programme of International Consultancy on Ecotourism (PICE). To date, he has carried out consultancy work in 85 countries around the world, including design and construction of ecolodges and other environmentally-friendly buildings. He developed the National Ecotourism Plans of Mexico, Malaysia, Uruguay, Ecuador, Dominica, Yemen, and Colombia.
Being a prolific writer, Hector is also the author or co-author of over 140 books, articles and reports. In 1983, he coined the term “ecotourism” and its preliminary definition. His modified version of this definition has been officially adopted by IUCN in 1996. In 2004 he was awarded the first Colibri Ecotourism Lifetime Achievement Award by Planeta.com. In 2008 he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by IRHA (International Restaurant and Hotel Awards) for his dedication to sustainable tourism and ecotourism through smart design (Beverly Hills, California). In 2021 Hector was named World Ecotourism Ambassador by the government of Castilla y León (Spain).
At present there are 498,000 references to his work in the internet (www.google). He is currently carrying out ecotourism plans and ecolodge designs in Peru, Mexico and Ecuador. In 2023, he has launched his social networks platform in YouTube and TikTok, promoting ecotourism around the world.
He is also keenly interested in ornithology, bird watching and bird conservation, and has identified to date 4,432 bird species in their natural habitat around the world. Hector also holds an all-time world record of 4,287 different species seen around the world during a period of 42 years (longest streak averaging over 100 lifers per year) between July 1969 and July 2011.
Hector has been one of Albert Teo's mentors all these years and his definition of Ecotourism has also inspired Albert to create Sukau Rainforest Lodge to what it is today. Sukau Rainforest Lodge honors Arq. Hector's conservation efforts by dedicating Deluxe Room No. 11 to him.
